Times of Change

I finished the book Nefertiti. Though it is difficult to know all the details of a life lived so far in the past the author did a good job of investigating Nefertiti's life as far as anyone can know. She was a woman of courage and also of intense ego. However, she became Queen of Egypt at fifteen years old and began having children soon after. We might say these days when children in our society remain children far in to their teens, "What would a teenager know about ruling a country?!" She was the second wife of Amunhotep IV who also was in his teens when he became Emperor of Egypt and together they had six daughters, built the vast city of Amarna and presided over troubled times when their decisions brought down the revered priests of Amun and raised up a sun disk priesthood. Nefertiti and Amunhotep had the faces of themselves and their family carved and painted on every surface in the city and spared no expense to continually remind the common people who the supreme rulers were.

I suppose, not surprisingly, this extravagance in both physical wealth and in what seems to have been a level of moral bankruptcy, ended in a horrific time that changed Amarna forever. Amunhotep refused to deal with uprisings and instead made a deal with the Hittites, a long-time enemy of the Egyptians. When these people were invited to Amarna for another grand feast and celebration of Nefertiti and Amunhotep's reign, they also brought the plague with them. The city was beset with death. Amunhotep never understood what had happened and Nefertiti tried her best to return Egypt to her former glory following his death. That was not to happen in her lifetime, not entirely.

All stories like Nefertiti are cautionary tales because they are stories about us - about human beings in their time and with all their attendant problems and joys. We read about them making decisions, choosing, leaving, having and raising children, being petty, jealous, swept away by love, angry or just tending their garden wishing for a peaceful life. They were no different than you and me. They are cautionary tales because of just that - we are like them!

Nefertiti and Amunhotep were young people who became powerful beyond their wisdom, even though as we know that doesn't always mean things will go well. They forgot the common people and only gave them thought when they wished to know the common people worshiped them. The emperor and his queen wanted to be seen by the people every minute of their lives and they wanted to live beyond eternity. Their care for and belief in the common people of their time was thin, it was not built upon an understanding that the people who fell at their feet had lives that also mattered. When the plague came to Amarna the common people suffered by the thousands. Still, Nefertiti and Amunhotep thought only of themselves and of who would ascend the throne if they perished.

History gives us myriad examples of Power Gone Wrong, of concentrated power in the hands of people whose egos are far too large. We've seen this in our own country and perhaps we are seeing versions of that in the current time. Power, money, prestige and the desire for more. Those are addictions that warp our abilities for compassion and truth.

May we the common people see with clarity in this time of change. Who has the best interest of all at heart, who is telling the truth and who is maneuvering for advantage. These lessons and cautions did not slip in to the sands of time at the feet of the Sphinx, they are ever present in human interactions.

Power To All The Common People!

Appeal from Oz - Send Pizzas!

What a glorious day in Wisconsin! It's just too good to be true and I am headed out to sit on my patio and enjoy some tea in a minute but I had to send this out to everyone who might be able to help.

Dear Jeanie,

Hundreds of Wisconsin workers have set up a tent city near the Capitol in Madison to protest Scott Walker's proposed $824 million of cuts to education and $500 million to health care for low-income families. The new city is called Walkerville.

The residents of Walkerville are there to make sure that the governor and the legislature know that tax cuts for the wealthy, giveaways to big business and attacks on workers' rights have a high human cost. They are carrying our voice to the Capitol, giving up time at work or school, and the comforts of home. Even if you can't join them, you can help.

Can you call Pizza di Roma at (608) 268-0900 and buy a pizza for one of the brave residents of Walkerville?

Since first launching their attacks on the working families of Wisconsin, Gov. Walker and the legislature have shut themselves away from the people they're hurting at every turn. Walker even went so far as to remove a painting of three low-income Milwaukee children from the governor's mansion, a portrait specially commissioned to remind Wisconsin's governors of the least privileged state residents.

However, as long as Walkerville keeps going, no one in the Capitol can ignore us.

Call Pizza di Roma at (608) 268-0900 and buy a pizza for Walkerville.

Thank you,
Brandon Davis, SEIU Political Director

PS - Spread the word.

That just shocked me - removed a painting hanging in the governor's mansion of three low-income Milwaukee children? This guy is beyond awful! Once again I have to invoke Baum's book and remind myself of the Tin Man who so badly wanted a heart. But we know the Gov doesn't have a heart and doesn't seem to want a heart therefore he isn't the man the Tin Man was. So, I'm happy to put this date out there. - Democrats solidify August 9 for General election to recall Republicans. Go to scottwalkerwatch.com to read up on the dastardly deeds done by the Walkerites and how the Dems are dealing with these nails on the pavement.

The news is flushed with hopefuls now jockeying for a position somewhere near the head of the pack of Presidential runners. I am relieved that some are fading to the background and hope a few more do the same. The Palin-Bachman duel is pretty much just sheer drama and I hope it stays that way. Newt? Yeah, not interesting no matter what. And I heard today that Randall Terry is making noises that he will run. Oh, say that isn't even remotely true!!! Margaret Atwood here we would come! The Handmaid's Tale has to be one of Terry's dearest nightmare scenarios for the U.S.

Off to the patio for tea and a good read. I am reading a novel - Nefertiti - which details the excesses people can foist on the common people in the name of ego-drenched glory-seeking. I know, reminds you of Walker and Fitzgerald doesn't it?

Enjoy the cool, sunny weather and the gentle breezes and, if you can, send a pizza to Madison.

Power To All The People All The Time!